FOLEY - Business owners in downtown Foley gathered to discuss what’s going on in the downtown area during the second Foley Main Street 3X Exchange. The first meeting, held in March, allowed people …
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FOLEY - Business owners in downtown Foley gathered to discuss what’s going on in the downtown area during the second Foley Main Street 3X Exchange. The first meeting, held in March, allowed people to discuss what they would like to see in downtown Foley. That meeting revealed a list of the top priorities that people wanted to see in downtown, including increasing stakeholder sense of pride and ownership, a detailed streetscapes and comprehensive plan for the area, and nightlife.
“The main thing is that you’ve got to be able to see,” said Darrelyn Dunmore, executive director of Foley Main Street, referring to potential nightlife. “Until we get it lit to where people want to be downtown after dark, we can’t sit there and start building a nightlife in downtown.”
She said Main Street is working with the City of Foley and Riviera Utilities to analyze the alleyways in downtown. Some portions have been lit, and plans are in action to look at different ways to light up the area. Dunmore said the more welcoming downtown is after dark, the more people will want to come.
Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the city is working on or in the planning stages for a multitude of projects downtown, including the expansion of the Rose Trail, upgrading the Comfort Station in Heritage Park, gateway signage, a new pocket park located beside the middle school and more.
“I’m super excited. I grew up here in Foley and we’re just growing like crazy,” said Hellmich. “Our challenge is to make sure that we keep what we love in Foley but allow it to continue to grow and meet the needs of all of our citizens. The first thing we’ve got to do is to preserve downtown, we’ve got to make sure that it’s vibrant. We are doing lighting projects and we’re going to look at all the different aspects of what we can do to make our downtown exciting.”
Updates are happening with downtown businesses as well. Some will be experiencing minor or major renovations, cleaning and repairs, and some empty spaces are gearing up for new tenants. One building soon to undergo renovations is the former bakery building located on the corner of Highway 98 and Alston Street.
“We acquired the building from the city two years ago, and then COVID hit and our grandioso plans came to a screeching halt,” said Mark Wright of 4Wright Investments. “We recently acquired historic accreditation, so that gives us the greenlight to go ahead and start the renovation on the property. I actually met with two contractors recently.”
He said the vision for the property is to have two retail or restaurant spaces on the bottom floor and three apartments or offices on the upper floor.
Other businesses in the area going through renovations or repairs include 200 W. Laurel Ave. across the street from the former bakery building, the old Foley Hotel building owned by Frances Holk-Jones, and the Orange Courtyard.
To learn more about Foley Main Street, visit www.foleymainstreet.com and follow the organization on Facebook, @foleymainstreet.
